NYAC S3 E17: History Has Its Eyes On Us (with Wale Lawal)

Not Your African Cliché

We talk exploring Nigerian-ness and African-ness through economics, history and art with the “Lean, Mean, Nigerian Machine,” @WaleLawal. He walks us though the process of establishing The Republic, a journal he edits and runs; schools us on the function of historical knowledge and how it serves our present experiences; and reminds us that we don’t have to be bound to the western narrative of Hero vs Villain when retelling the rich tapestry of African history. We chat about innovative ways of creating knowledge and making it more accessible, social media as a tool to understand people’s frame of reference, and how to accommodate and teach the variations and differences in historical perspectives Resources: - https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/black-panther-and-the-invention-of-africa - http://www.republic.com.ng/octobernovember-2017/nigeria-disintegrating-state/ - http://www.republic.com.ng/vol1-no1/the-erasure-of-female-pain/ - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/05/26/after-empire - http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/12/22/on-optimism-and-despair/ Reading: Known and Strange Things by Teju Cole Burn This Book edited by Toni Morrison Exit West by Mohsin Hamid This Bridge Called My Back edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa Watching The Crown Blackish Listening to: Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B Top Pop, Vol. I by Pentatonix Outside by Burna Boy K.O.D by J. Cole Cloak; Wallflower by Jordan Rakei Episode was mixed by Ifeoluwa Olokode. Theme song is Ayo by Femi Leye